Main Beam Structure Analysis And Optimization Design Of Kaldor Furnace Spreader

Modern design technology is constantly developing. In the pursuit of thelightweight design, designers also are paying more and more attention to the designinnovation and cost. The structural optimization design comes to be a rapidlydeveloping design area, which makes the designers more actively undertake creativedesign.The Kaldor Furnace spreader is mainly used to grip, transport and unload theKaldor Furnace during the operation. The main beam is the important bearingcomponent in the whole structure. The mechanical properties and performance in thespreader are significantly influenced by the main beam frame. Now the traditionaldesign methods are generally used to devise the Kaldor Furnace spreader in thedomestic, but these methods are only engaging in the structure finite element strengthanalysis. Except for this, the size optimization of steel plate is merely analyzed by thedesigner experience, and the topology optimization and shape optimization are not donein the structure. And the original structure is hardly improved without the intactoptimization design flow. As a result, the ultimate optimization design can not come tobe ture.In this paper, the research selected the structure analysis and optimization design ofthe main beam of the Kaldor Furnace spreader.Firstly, the finite element model of themain beam was constructed with the solid element in the Kaldor Furnace spreader. Bythe static strength analysis, stability analysis and constrained modal analysis, the mainbeam structural performance could be known. Thus the vulnerable and excessivestrength areas were verified, which are used to instruct the consequently structuraloptimization design. The shell element also could be applied to the main beam structuralanalysis, because of the small ratio between the wall thickness and the componentlength. As a result, the simulation analysis results between the solid element and theshell element model were contrasted thereby, the solid element model results could beensured to be reliable and effective.The optimization software Optistruct developed by the Altair company were usedin the paper. With the topology, shape and size optimization, the main beam of theKaldor Furnace spreader were processed from the overall framework design to theoptimization design of the tiny areas. Finally, the optimized structure satisfied the design demand. The optimization design scheme of the main beam of Kaldor Furnacespreader in the paper has been adopted by a company and used to the specificengineering projects.Finally, the evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) method was applied to thetopology optimization of the main beam of the Kaldor Furnace spreader. The ESOmethod has become to the newest research trend because of the simple ideas, theobvious effect and the easy implement. Now the research results mainly focused on thetheory, but few results could be found in the practical engineering projects. In this paper,the ESO method was associated with the practical engineering projects, the results ofwhich had an application value. And the topology optimization results of the Optistructsoftware and ESO method were contrasted in order to ensure the reliability andeffectiveness of the optimization design scheme.